What’s the Proper Way to Wash Your Hands? Foals Lend Song to Public Awareness Campaign11.03.2020

The song, Wash Off, comes from the group’s sixth studio album and the second part of the Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost diptych, released by the British band last fall.  

Although the song lends itself to ablution-related interpretations by way of its title, the implicit message of the lyrics is rather different—although befitting these strange times. In a September interview with DIY magazine, Yannis Philippakis, the lead singer of the band recently named Best British Group at the 2020 BRIT Awards, revealed that the lyrics alluded to “trying to find selfish reasons to keep on going and enjoy your life."

Although the single is already a couple of months old, the music video was released only recently—and it doubles as a public awareness campaign aimed at encouraging thorough, at least 20-second-long hand-washing sessions, and taking additional precautions to stave off the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Aside from the detailed hand-washing tutorial, the release also features an official statement from the British Department of Health and Social Care, while the music video concludes with additional advice on how to protect yourself against contracting coronavirus and spreading the infection to others.